


I love you. I need you.

by spasticsamurai



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Actor!Cas, Alternate Universe - Human, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Established Relationship, Flashbacks, M/M, Marriage Proposal, actor!dean - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 17:58:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6019657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spasticsamurai/pseuds/spasticsamurai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the Golden Globes, but Dean has more than awards on his mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I love you. I need you.

Dean wakes up a few minutes before the alarm is supposed to go off. He spends those few minutes cocooned in the warmth under the covers and listens to the steady breathing of the person wrapped up in his arms. Just as the alarm is about to go off, he reaches over and shuts it off. A grin makes its way on his face as his bedmate snuffles sleepily and presses closer to him. His boyfriend may roll his eyes and exasperatedly call him a cuddle monster, but Dean knows that Castiel is just as bad, if not worse, in the few minutes before he dusts off the cobwebs of sleep.

The smile doesn't quite leave his face as Dean watches each sleepy puff of air Castiel exhales. God, it's ridiculous how much he loves this man. 3 years into their relationship and Dean is still surprised he gets to wake up to this almost every morning. He reaches over and gently traces Castiel's features with his fingertips. He thinks back to the very first time they met, 5 years ago in a studio built to resemble a barn.

 _The offer had come in just hours before, when Dean received a phone call from a panicked casting assistant promising to pay him double his normal rate if he got his butt to the location shoot in half an hour. The premise of the commercial was beyond corny, and Dean would have declined it if he didn't need the paycheck for that month's rent. Seriously? An angel appearing in a barn? That's probably the reason the guy he's replacing didn't show up on set. Well, at least he's getting paid pretty well for a half day's work._  
  
He was all prepared for it to be a forgettable shoot - something that would do nothing to bolster his resume. It was anything but forgettable. Dean's first glimpse of Castiel Novak was through a shower of sparks with fake thunder blaring through the speakers in the background. The Angel Airways commercial was going to be a runaway success, if Dean Winchester's semi-boner had any say in it.

Castiel wrinkles his forehead and burrows deeper into Dean's chest, letting loose a grumpy protest. "Rise and shine, angel," Dean murmurs, running a hand through Castiel's messy bedhead. Castiel responds by tightening his arms around Dean's waist and muttering a muffled "No" into his clavicle. Dean runs his palm over the length of Castiel's back, then traces loose circles around Castiel's shoulder blades.  
  
"I'll make you pancakes if you get up now." No response. "I'll even throw in some banana slices," Dean cajoles. A pause. Bright blue eyes slowly blink open to stare steadily at him. "With chocolate chips?" Dean lets out a snort and rolls his eyes. "Yes, with chocolate chips," he replies. Castiel's face breaks into a lazy smile as he releases his hold on Dean and all but shoves his boyfriend off the bed. In retaliation, Dean gives Castiel's naked butt a light slap before disentangling himself from the sheets. A disgruntled "Dean Winchester!" follows him as he makes his way to the kitchen.

Being an A-list movie star, you would think that Dean would think three times before sauntering around his house naked. Fortunately for them, living 5 properties away from the Jolie-Pitts kind of ensures the paparazzi lenses are never trained on them. The vast expanse of land between properties also helps to ensure the privacy of Hollywood's famous.  
  
Dean makes his way to the coffee machine and starts it up. Within two months of living together, Castiel was turned into a coffee convert, and he **must** have a mug each morning in addition to his glass of fruit juice. Dean starts pulling out ingredients from their walk-in pantry. Once everything is assembled on the counter, he heads back into their bedroom to grab a pair of sweatpants. No way is he going to be anywhere near a hot stove without pants on.  
  
As he riffles through his side of the drawers, the sound of Castiel humming in the shower catches his attention. Dean grins when he recognizes the tune. 2 years ago, this song was featured in the animated movie that almost caused a crisis in Dean and Castiel's relationship.

 _Almost in disbelief, Dean saw his mood soar from absolute elation to plummet to absolute devastation."Cas! I can't believe you turned them down!" Dean's voice goes up a notch. His arms flail around, as if by moving randomly they would be able to help Dean understand what was going through Castiel's head. Castiel takes a deep breath, willing himself to calm down before he says something the both of them will regret. "I don't deny that it's a great opportunity, Dean. It's just not something I want to do," Castiel reasons. "Cas, it's freaking MARVEL!" Dean's voice goes up another octave. His arms flail in bigger motions._  
  
_While Castiel had been out at a meeting with his manager, Dean received a called from his agency, informing him that his audition from a month ago had gone exceedingly well, and now, he was going to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was signed on for 6 movies as Captain America. The news got even better when his agency told him that the casting directors were dead set on Castiel for the role of Bucky Barnes in the first standalone Captain America movie. Dean had practically exploded with joy as soon as Castiel came through their front door. It was like a dream come true. They were finally going to get to work together! Until Castiel told Dean that he had turned Marvel down. Now, they'd spent the last 45 minutes arguing about it._  
  
_Who in their right mind turns **Marvel** down?! Apparently, now Dean's thoughts won't stay in the privacy of his head. "I guess I'm not in my right mind then, Dean," comes the snippy reply. "There's another project I want to be a part of. Look, they are educating children on the importance of bees. Bees are important to Earth, Dean." It was definitely that earnest tone and big blue eyes that took all the fight out of Dean. He could never say no when Castiel had his heart set on something, especially if it involved his all-encompassing love of bees. Sometimes, Dean wonders if Castiel loves bees more than Dean loves pie._  
  
_"But I want to do a movie with you, Cas," Dean can't mask his disappointment. He almost steps away when Castiel closes the distance between them and moves into his personal space. Two hands cup his face gently. "I'd love to work with you too, Dean. It's just not the right project," Castiel's voice soothes him.  "And if it's any consolation, you could bring the uniform back and we can have our own version of Cap and Bucky at home." Castiel's smile teases a bark of laughter out of Dean._

 

Dean shakes his head and exits the bedroom. He probably would never say it out loud, but the choice Castiel made 2 years ago was probably for the best. Dean had gone on to become one of the most bankable summer blockbuster A-listers in Hollywood, riding high on the success of Captain America: The First Avenger and Marvel's The Avengers. Castiel had gone on to work on several critically acclaimed arthouse film projects, and was currently the darling of movie critics.  
  
Sure, Dean gets a lot of "Mommy, look! It's Captain America!" whenever they're out and about, but his highlight is always when Castiel speaks and the children completely ignore Dean in favour of gawking adoringly at Castiel. Awed whispers of "Mommy, that man sounds like Bee-bop!" are the usual accompaniment to starry-eyed children. Any encounter with a child is never complete without Castiel -or rather, Bee-bop's- signature catchphrase "Bee kind!"

As he mixes the banana slices and chocolate chips into the pancake batter, Dean mentally runs through their schedule for the day. They're booked for two hours with their personal trainer at the gym after breakfast. Dean has a very conflicting love-hate relationship with awards season. On one hand, he gets to spend several hours salivating at Castiel in a well-fitted suit (and then have the pleasure of taking it off him later when they get home), but it also meant extra hours at the gym and a diet that literally sucks the joy out of life. After gym, it's lunch with Sam - Sasquatch brother- and Jess - gorgeous sister-in-law- at The Nest. Knowing Benny and Andrea, the husband and wife owners of The Nest, they're going to be in for a treat today.  
  
Next is the facial appointment (gotta have that glowing complexion for the red carpet) before they head over to their condo downtown for the final fitting with Stephen Williams. Their respective managers should be ready and waiting there with an army of makeup and hair people.  
  
Dean and Castiel had been adamant that this house was off limits to anyone besides their close circle of family and friends. This was their personal space, and no one was allowed here unless specifically invited by either Dean or Castiel. The condo downtown functions only as a space for them to deal with the Hollywood grind (management, hair, makeup, clothes, meetings, interviews, photo shoots). After hair and makeup, it's several long hours at the Golden Globes. Finally, the most important part of the day, which has Dean's stomach in knots is-

Strong arms circle his waist from behind as Castiel hooks his chin over Dean's right shoulder. As he drops a light kiss behind Dean's ear, Castiel's hand sneaks into the bag of chocolate chips. "Mmm, good morning, Dean," Castiel murmurs into his ear. Distracted by Castiel's warm body and freshly showered scent, Dean barely registeres when an extra handful of chocolate chips are sneakily scattered into the mixing bowl.

"Hey!" Dean gives Castiel's hand a light slap. "No indulgences until after the Golden Globes tonight," he admonishes. He feels Castiel's lips break into a smile on his neck. "Does that mean we can have cheeseburgers after the show?"

Dean stifles a moan as his brain bombards him with image after image of fluffy buns, melting cheese, and juicy beef patties. "Yes, most definitely yes. I haven't had proper food in over a month, Cas," he whines. "Carbs... just, give me all the carbs in the world. And protein. God, what I'd do for protein not served in a shaker."

"I can think of a great source of protein." A nip on the back of his neck. "Not in a shaker." Another nip. "Very pleasurable for all parties involved." Another nip. A finger lightly teases the hem of his sweatpants.

Dean growls and spins them around. He crowds Castiel up against the opposite counter and kisses his boyfriend to within an inch of his life. Castiel's hands grips his waist as Dean all but devours him. When they finally break apart for air, Dean rests his forehead on Castiel's, panting lightly. "I'm not having a repeat of the time I went to the gym after morning sex," Dean says with a warning tone. "I almost died doing P90X."

Castiel huffs out a laugh, bringing his arms around Dean's neck. "If you say so, Dean." He gives Dean one last chaste peck before walking Dean backwards to the mixing bowl. "Now, I'm hungry. Feed me."

 

Two hours later, Dean is driving them downtown to the gym. They have the windows of the Impala down and the wind messes Castiel's hair up even more. He can't help but grin when Castiel slides on his aviators and reaches across the seat to link their fingers together.

 _"The Apocalypse? Are you kidding me Sammy? Why do you always want to watch these depressing movies?" Dean complains as he waves the DVD box around. "Look at the title. Who names their movie "The End" anyways?" Dean chucks the DVD at Sam's head for good measure._  
  
_"Critics have been raving about it, Dean," Sam grabs the DVD before it manages to hit him. "And it's written by Ben Edlund. AND! And Castiel Novak is in it. You know, your little celebrity crush?"_

_Dean looks away, his cheeks feeling a little flushed. So what if he's got the hots for Castiel Novak? The guy is smoking hot, not to mention that voice. Oh, that voice has starred in more than a few of Dean's fantasies. Ever since they wrapped on the Angel Airways shoot a few months ago, Dean has been having trouble getting those blue eyes out of his mind. Cue a marathon of all the movies listed in Castiel's IMDB page. Hell, he watched 'Girl, Interrupted' and didn't realize Angelina Jolie was in the scene. Dean grumbles as he snatches the DVD out of Sam's hand. "Get the popcorn ready, bitch."_

_He's too busy avoiding eye contact to see his younger brother's grin as he replies with "Jerk."_

 

"So get this!" Sam greets Dean and Castiel as they flop into their chairs. Dean catches Benny's attention and the older man nods in return. "Jess managed to get us tickets to Bon Jovi's show at the Staples Center!" Dean raises his head from the back of his chair long enough to see the massive grin his brother's wife is sporting. His head flops back and he groans out "Awesome, Jess! Whose dick did Sammy have to suck for them- OW!" Dean yelps as he rubs his smarting thigh. He shoots a half-hearted glare at Castiel. "You **know** how sore my legs are, asshole."

His boyfriend ignores him in favour of talking to Jess. "So, how did you manage to get tickets, Jess? I heard they were sold out."

"Well, I was on duty at the hospital the other day. And I see this young boy, about 10, 11 maybe? He was lost, so I walked with him around to look for his parents. Turns out, that was the son of Tico Torres!" Jess's eyes are shining. "He thanked me for taking care of Hector, and I may have mentioned how bummed I was to have missed out on getting tickets to the concert," she says, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Like I said. Awesome," Dean throws her a thumbs up. There is a pause in their conversation when their server approaches with their food. The next half hour is filled with small talk; Sam filling them in vaguely on his current cases as the Deputy District Attorney, Jess with her anecdotes on being a pediatric surgeon, Castiel on the possibility of a second Bee-bop animated movie, and Dean hazarding a guess when he's needed to start filming the next installation of the Avengers.

As the conversation progresses, Dean's chair steadily moves closer and closer to Castiel's, and he finds first one leg draped across Castiel's lap, then he's all but sitting in Castiel's lap. Castiel is gently kneading his calf muscles as he discusses schedules and dates with Jess so the four of them can make a short trip back to Kansas to see Dean and Sam's parents before Dean starts filming again.

"So, what time are we expecting you later?" Sam asks, looking at Dean. Dean's eyes widen in panic. He tenses up. He is so going to kill Sam. Castiel pauses in his massage to turn to Sam. "Later?"  
  
Dean has seconds to school the expression on his face into one of indifference before Castiel turns to him next. Castiel does that adorable, confused-head-tilt-wired-in-every-Novak's-genes thing. "I wasn't aware we'd be meeting Sam again later?"

"Uh... uh, neither did I," Dean fumbles. Castiel narrows his eyes at his boyfriend. Damn Novak and his damn Lie Detecting Eye Squint. Dean fights the urge to fidget under the scrutiny. "Oh, my bad, Cas. I was thinking of something else," Sam jumps in, throwing in a nervous laugh for good measure. "We're not seeing anyone later. Anywhere. Or... anything," Sam finishes lamely.

Dean imagines his brother tied to a medieval archery target with a hundred flaming arrows flying directly at him. Before things can get worse, Dean grabs Castiel's hand and signals to Benny to put the meal on his tab. "Well, we gotta go. The Golden Globes waits for no one," he laughs nervously, tugging Castiel up from his seat and towards the door. "Great catching up, Sammy, Jess. Let's do lunch again another day." Castiel manages a quick wave before Dean bodily maneuvers him outside.

As soon as they're out the door, Dean heaves a relieved sigh. He's about to fish the car keys out of his pocket when he feels a prickling at the back of his neck. He puts on his most charming smile and turns to Castiel. "Cas? Ready to go, babe?"

"Don't you 'babe' me, Winchester," Castiel's eyes narrow suspiciously. "What just happened in there?"

Dean shrugs and makes a show of looking at everywhere and everything other than Castiel, while his brain races a mile a minute to find a good excuse. "It's nothing," he says, chancing a peek at his boyfriend. Yeah, he's not getting away with this so easily, if the scowl on Castiel's face is any indication.

Ah, damn it. Half-truth it is.

"I might have made plans to go drinking with Sam after the Globes," Dean winces slightly. "I know how you don't like me _imbibing too much alcohol_ ", Dean continues, complete with finger air quotes. He adds in an eyeroll, because yeah, Castiel is the only person Dean's met that would actually use his fingers to emphasize air quotes. And now, because they're together, Dean's picked up Castiel's air quote habit too. Adorable fucker.

The creases on Castiel's forehead smooths out as he visibly relaxes. "I don't have a problem with your drinking, Dean. You're a lovable, sappy drunk," he chides, slipping his hand into Deans and interlacing their fingers. "I have a problem with you drinking too much in the presence of Crowley."

Dean grins as he tugs Castiel closer. Castiel's focus stays on their hands. "Hey, look at me," Dean says softly, tapping at Castiel's chin until the other man meets his eye. "You don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm past all that. Mistakes were made. I've learned my lesson, Cas. Crowley, the drinking, the late nights. It's all in the past. I'm happy where I am now, right here with you," Dean smiles softly, receiving a warm smile in return.

They spend a few more seconds quietly gazing into each other's eyes before Dean breaks away with, "Besides, I know how smitey you get when you're jealous and possessive." He throws Castiel a cheeky grin and says, "Which, for the record, is fucking hot," before unlocking the doors and hurrying over to the driver's side.

"Damn straight, Winchester," Castiel grins smugly as he slides into the Impala.

_Captain America: The First Avenger had just been released a few weeks prior. The media frenzy and attention had been overwhelming. Suddenly, Dean Winchester was a name that gave instant access to all the clubs, and women and men were practically throwing themselves at him. Dean's presence was required at multiple locations every day and night, to drum up publicity and to keep the studio executives happy._

_Tonight, Dean's been drinking and dancing the last 4 hours away at Hell's Gate, an exclusive club owned by Fergus Crowley, one of the biggest studio executives in Hollywood. Rumour has it, Crowley even bought the Moon from NASA in a shady backroom deal._  
  
_"Dean!" Castiel's voice is like a thunderclap in the small private room, the loud pumping bass of the club muted by the cushioned walls. Dean whirls around unsteadily as he looks for his boyfriend. As soon as his vision blurrily hones in on blue eyes and messy black hair, Dean feels his grin almost split his face in two. "CAS!" he yells. His arms flail clumsily around, trying to grab a hold of Castiel. When he feels strong arms circle his waist, he pitches forward into Castiel. He's beyond happy that Castiel decided to come._

_For a while, it seemed like Castiel wasn't keen on sharing in Dean's happiness and success. After the first few parties, Castiel had outright refused to attend any more with Dean. Well, sure, Dean tended to drink a little too much at these parties. But, hey! They're celebrating. Getting drunk is part of the fun. Not to mention all the high quality stuff Crowley orders at these things. And, well, if Crowley had a tendency to get him and Dean a private room or booth, it's so the paparazzi wouldn't get any unflattering photos._

_Or so Dean thought. As he wobbles around in Castiel's arms, he briefly wonders when the room had turned so chilly his exposed thigh were covered in goosebumps. Wait, exposed thighs? Where are his pants? Was he wearing pants?_

_"Stay the fuck away from him, Crowley. I'm not warning you again."_

_Man, Castiel sounds super hot when he's pissed. All low and gravelly. Dean's grin gets even wider as he attempts to wrap his limbs around Castiel like a koala. His efforts are thwarted, as Castiel's palm comes up to his face and shoves him back onto one of the couches. A pair of jeans is thrown at his head. "Put your pants on, Dean," Castiel's voice comes out in a stern command._

_That had been the last thing Dean remembered of that night._

_The next morning, he had been horrified to find several pictures taken with his own cellphone that showed him drunkenly kissing Crowley. Needless to say, that was a bucket of ice water to his face. Since then, Dean had sworn off excessive drinking and stayed the hell away from Crowley and his parties. Mending his relationship with Castiel had been his priority, and Dean still berates himself sometimes for ever putting that sadness in Castiel's eyes all those years ago._

 

"Dean! Hey, Dean! Over here," the shouts of the photographers on the red carpet surround Dean. He plasters on his most charming smile and shifts in different directions. It had taken him a while, but now he can face the barrage of flashing lights without squinting. The first time he faced them, the flashing and shutter sounds had been overwhelming, causing him to frown and Sam to make fun of him for pulling a Blue Steel face at his first red carpet event.

A little further down the carpet, Castiel was being interviewed by Meg Masters. Nodding once to the crowd, Dean discreetly hurries over to Castiel. Meg and Castiel had dated briefly in the past, and although Dean hadn't a shred of doubt of Castiel's faithfulness, Meg just made him a tad bit jittery.

"Oh, hey! Your lover boy's decided to join us," Meg chirped, shoving the microphone into Dean's face. "Hey there, Dean Winchester. Care to give our viewers a shout out?" Dean smiled at the video camera lens while subtly pushing the microphone away from his nose. "Hey guys!" he dutifully waved.

"So, I was just asking Castiel," Meg said, "You two have been together for quite a while now. Ready to pop the question and become a Novak?" Meg winked. Automatically, Dean freezes. How did Meg- No, no, this was not how it's supposed to-

A familiar teasing drawl suddenly pipes up around the vicinity of Dean's left shoulder. "Only after 2 parents, 3 sisters and 4 brothers deem him worthy of the family baby." All of them turn their attention to the smirking host of this year's Golden Globes. "I'm not a baby anymore, Gabriel," Castiel grumbles, but steps into his brother's open arms.

_This is OK. We're OK. There's nothing to worry about. Just a normal, regular dinner. Pull yourself together, Dean. Just because the who's who of Hollywood is behind this very large and very solid-looking oak door in this massive mansion doesn't mean you can pee your paints right now._

_Dean is momentarily distracted from his inner panic when his boyfriend of 8 months rings the doorbell._

_Castiel turns back to Dean with a reassuring smile. The smile quickly turns into a worried frown. "Dean, are you alright? You look like you're about to throw up," Castiel says, pressing the back of his hand against Dean's forehead._

_Dean forces out a smile, reaching up to pull Castiel's hand into his. "I'm fine, Cas. Everything's fine." Castiel looks rather doubtful, but his attention is drawn away when the door opens._

_"Good evening, Master Castiel. Your family is in the living area," a tall, blonde man with a British accent intones with a blank face, stepping aside for Dean and Castiel to enter._

_Holy shit! **Master** Castiel?! What the- Dean can barely put his thoughts together before Castiel jabs the doorman-butler-guy in the ribs. "Still not funny, Balthazar."_

_Doorman-butler-well, Balthazar flinches away with a chuckle, then grabs Castiel's face and plants a smiling kiss onto Castiel's mouth. "Hello, my darling baby brother!" Dean's brain fritzes a little at the kissing followed by 'brother', then finds himself grabbed into a hug by Balthazar. He is still slightly reeling when Castiel says, "Dean, meet my brother Balthazar. He's in charge of Novak Productions in London."_

_The rest of the evening goes by in a bit of a blur for Dean. Dean vaguely remembers fumbling his way through meeting Chuck, Castiel's father and acclaimed screenwriter, Naomi, Castiel's mother and CEO of the Novak film empire. Then came Castiel's 7 other siblings; Michael, Academy award winning director, and his music mogul twin Lucifer; Gabriel, prime time talk show host; Raphael, transgender activist and New York Times best-selling author; Balthazar, head of the London branch of Novak Productions; Anna, world-renowned painter; and finally Hannah, the only Novak not in the family business that owns her own little bakery._

 

5 hours! Finally, after 5 freaking hours, the ceremony draws to an end. Dean is going to speed to the nearest diner and grab the greasiest burger on their menu. No, make that TWO burgers. Maybe 3. Yeah, Dean's pretty sure he can polish off 5 burgers, easy.

"Dean, stall him and give us a 10 minute head start," a voice whispers sharply into Dean's left ear. He turn sharply just in time to see Anna (who came as Michael's date) grab Michael and Gabriel with her left arm, and pull Lucifer by the sleeve with her right towards the exit. A quick check behind him sees Chuck and Naomi making good progress through the crowd, even though they kept getting caught in goodbye hugs and air kisses.

"Dean, have you seen Gabriel?" Dean almost has a heart attack when Castiel appears next to him. "Jesus Christ," Dean wheezes, "Don't do that, Cas!"

Castiel squints at Dean, and Dean can't help but swallow nervously under the scrutiny. Just as Dean is about to word vomit at Castiel, his boyfriend steadily sits him down on the nearest chair. "Dean, are you okay? You're looking a little pale," Castiel asks, cupping Dean's face in his hands.

Dean lets out a relieved breath. "Yeah, I just could really use a burger right now," he chuckles, bumping his forehead against Castiel's in reassurance. "Remind me never again to take Sam's suggestion to only eat a salad before an awards show, yeah?"

Castiel's frown relaxes a little and he affectionately rubs his thumb over Dean's cheek. "Let's get you some food, you bottomless pit."

 

Half an hour later, they are finishing up their shared bag of White Castle fries in the parking lot when Dean's phone buzzes in his pocket. He passes the whole bag to Castiel to fish his phone out. A quick slide and the phone unlocks.

_Anna said 10 minutes, not 10 days, you dick! Get your asses here before Balthazar finishes the champagne. – Gabe_

At the sudden reminder, Dean feels his palms start to sweat and his burger making its way back up his throat. "Hey, Cas. You done?" Dean tries to sound casual, but his voice comes out a little higher than normal. He clears his throat and glances at Castiel.

Castiel nods before stepping out of the car to throw their garbage into the nearest bin. He re-enters the car and gives Dean a bright smile. "Burgers make me very happy, Dean."

Dean snorts out a laugh as he starts the Impala's engine. "That's the understatement of the century."

"But you make me happier," Castiel continues, reaching over to take Dean's hand in his as they exit the lot. Dean's heart does a little flip and he rolls his eyes, but he brings their joined hands up to give Castiel's knuckles a quick kiss. They fall into a comfortable silence as they make their way through Los Angeles traffic.

_We're 2 mins out. Get ready._

"Dean, will you please refrain from texting and driving?" Castiel chides. "Technically, we're stopped at a traffic light, Cas," Dean answers back, barely able to stop himself from sticking his tongue out childishly. 

As they wait for their automated gate to open, Dean belatedly worries that this whole thing he planned would backfire when Castiel notices all the familiar cars parked in their driveway. Thankfully, and suspiciously, their driveway is empty as Dean maneuvers the Impala into his spot.

Dean's mind starts racing with all the words he wanted to say and all the times he rehearsed them quietly in the garage. He can feel his breath come in shorter spurts as Castiel releases his hand. Dean immediately reaches for Castiel's hand an clasps it between both his own. He stares silently at their hands, willing his heart and mind to calm down.

"Dean?" Castiel says gently, head tilting to better see Dean's face.

Dean looks up and meets Castiel's eyes. "I just really love you, you know?" he manages, his face twitching into a nervous smile. His eyes instinctively close when Castiel leans over and kisses him.

"And I love you too, Dean Winchester," Castiel breathes when they part. Quietly, they share another smile before exiting the Impala and making their way to their front door.

 

Just before Castiel pushes his key into the lock, Dean gently takes his hands again. Castiel is about to ask why Dean is acting so strange tonight when Dean drops to one knee in front of him. His heart stutters and his stomach drops. His eyes widen almost comically when Dean raises his head and looks at him with a watery smile.

Dean feels the world fall away, his concentration solely focused on the way Castiel is looking at him in shock. He barely hears himself speaking,"Castiel James Novak, I love you. I need you. I can't imagine my life without you, and I don't ever want to. I want to fall asleep every night to your snoring, and wake up every morning to your absolutely ridiculous bedhead. I want to be the one to bring you coffee and be the first to see all that pre-coffee grouchiness melt away. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, loving you, being there for you."

Dean takes a breath, pulls out the ring he kept tucked into the inner jacket pocket just over his heart and asks hopefully, "Will you marry me?"

 

"He said yes!" Dean yells into the dark house, a deliriously happy Castiel in his arms as he throws open their front door.

Immediately the lights come on and whoops of joy resound throughout the house as all their friends and family throws confetti and yells their congratulations at the newly engaged couple.

 

* * *

* * *

 

**Bonus:**

"Hey, Gabe? Where did you guys park your cars?"

"In the garden out back."

"MY PETUNIAS!!"

 


End file.
